Electric meter.



E. EVANS.

ELECTRiC METER.

APPucATtoN FILED FEB. I0. lala.

1,267, 1 98. Patented May 2l, 1918.

Mmmm

Witnesses:

Inventor:

I. Evan Evans, l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EVAN EVANS, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A.

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

Application filed February 1G, 1914. Serial No. 817,788.

To all lwhom e' may concern.'

Be it known that I, EVAN EVANS, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric meters and particularly to maximum consumption or peak meters. More specifically my invention relates to that type of electric peak meter in which the'armature is subjected to a constant countertorque corresponding to a definite and predetermined rato of consumption of energy.

The object of my .invention is generally to improve the present type of peak meters, and particularly to provide a novel and improved registering system for such. meters. More particularly the object of my invention is to provide a novel construction of peak meter peculiarly adapted for use in certain systems of metering and charging for electric energy.

In order to provide an equitable tarili' rate for electric energy, it is common to designate for a particular consumer a certain, predetermined contract rate of consumption of energy which the consumer should not exceed 1f he desires to avail himself of the most advantageous tariff rate for the energy consumed in his installation. .ln some in` stances the consumer is charged a definite amount independent of his actual energy consumption provided his rate of consump- -tion of energy does not `exceed a predetervrmined value, and a mined value. If, however, the rate of consumption of energy does exceed such predetermined value a registration is l'made of the excess Vamount of energy consumed when the rate of consumption exceeds .such predeterw higher charge, in the nature of a penalty, is made for this excess amount of ener y. For this purpose a meter is employed which registers only the energy consumed in excess of the contract limit when the rate of consumption of energy eX- ceeds the predetermined contract value. No registration is thus obtained of the amount of energy consumed when the rate of con` sumpton of y ener is below the contract limit. aim o my invention is to pro vide a novel registering .system for a oak eter by means of whlch certain iuci ents o the consumers demand on the central stay (ings, in which Figure view of my lnvention embodied .11i a tion7 heretofore undeterminable, are readily ascertained.

In carrying out my invention, I provide an electric meter of the motor type having a rotatable member capable of rotation in a forward or backward direction. When the rate of consumption of energy is below the predetermined value the member rotates in a backward direction, and when the rate ol consumption of energy exceeds the predetermined value the member rotates in a. forward direction. The revolutions of the member in a forward direction are a. meas` ure of the amount of energy consumed in excess of the contractV limit during the times that the rate of consumption of energy e ceeded' the predetermined value, and the revolutions oi the member in a backward direction are a measure of the amount of energy within the contract limit which the consumer has not used. The rotatable member is operatively connected to two registers so that the revolutions in a forward and. backward direction are separably recorded.

According to my present invention the actual consumption of energy under all conditions can be readily ascertained by a peak meter whose armature is subjected to a corn slant backward torque. This is accomplished by transmitting the backward rotary movement of the armature to a` suitable registering' device. This may be done indii ferent Ways, In certain instances 'it is adyal'itageous to empio;r treo registers and to recorr'l upon one only the revolutions of the armature in a forward direction and upon the' other only the revolutions of the arman ture/ir. a bac ward direction. In other instances another arrangement may be em ployed by which only the movement of the armature in one direction of rotation is transferred to one reg'stcr, while the movement of the armature in both directions Vof rotation is transferred to the other register.

The features of my invention which I consider atentably novel are delinitcly indicated 1n the claims appended hereto. The mode o. operation o electric meters em bodyi my invention will be readily understood rom. the following description taken in connection with the accompanying draw-. 1 is a diagrammatic` Piek; meter: Fig. 2 is' a similar diagraxmmllticil netic material 7 forming a magnetic circuit of well known character for the potential` and series fluxes. A disk arnnture 8, of the usual type, is rotatably arranged in an air gap of the magnetic circuit of the potential and series fluxes. A short-circuitinu wind? ing' 9 surrounds a portion of the pole piece of the potential magnetic material. By means of the short-circuiting winding 9 two magnetic fields displaced in phase are produced. fThese fields pass through the disk armature 8 and impart to the armature a rotation in a backward direction. The 'torque producing this backward rotation is constant, and is, accordingly, independent of the magnitude of the rate of consumption of energy. This constant torque tending to produce backward rotation of the armature is subtracted from the torque tending to produce forward rotation of the armature, which latter torque is created Whenever current flows in the series coils 6. It will, accordingly, he evident that when the rate of consumption of energy is below a predetermined value the arniature 8 will rotate in a backward direction and the revolutions of the armature in this direction `will be a measure of the difference between the amount; of energy which would have been consumed in a certain period if the rate of energy consumption equaled the predetermined value during this entire period and the actual amount of energy consumed during the same period. The revolutions of the armature in a forward direction will be a measure of the amount of energy consumed in excess of the predetermined amount or contract limit during the times the rate of consumption of energy exceeded the predetermined rate.

The short-eircuiting winding 9 may be of any desired form, and may consist of a piece of sheet metal embracing a portion of the cross sectional area of a pole piece of the pouential magnetic circuit, or may consist of several turns of wire.

'lo adi ust the value of the constant torque tending to produce backward rotation of the armature the ohmic resistance of the short--circuiting winding 9 may be varied or its position on the pole piece altered. Further adjustment of the counter-torque may be obtained, if desired, by movement of a sheet metalvane 25. located in the air gap of the meter and parallel to the disk armature 8. The rane 25 is pivoted lo a fixed post 26 and is adapted to be moved about this pivot. When `the vane is symmetrically positioned with respect to" the motive e e'nients of the meter, 1t will have no effect on the rotation of the meter armature. When the vane is moved, however, out of this position of symmetry the'currents induced therein will cooperate to produce a torque tending to turn the armature in one direction or the other depending on the direction of movement of the vane.

In accordance with my invention Y the backward and lforward revolutions of the armature are sepa'rabIy Jregistered, that is, these two revolutions are so registered `upon suitable registers that the actual revolutions in a'forward direction and the actual revolutionsvin a backwarddirection can be'read. ily ascertained. In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings the revolutionsof the armature in a backward direc tion are registered upon one register and the revolutions of the armature in a forward direction are registered upon another register. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the revolutions of the armature in one direction are registered upon one register and the revolutions of the armature in both directions are registered upon a second register.

Referring first to F ig. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that. l have provided a construction whereby the revolutions lof, the armature 8 in a forward direction are registered on register II and the revolutions of the armature in a backward `ldireetion are registered on register I. rl'he registers are actuated from the meter shaft 11 bv the usual worm and gear trains. In accorldance with the principle of my invention the register mechanism I is moved only when the 'armature is ruiming backward, and the register mechanism II is moved only when the armature is running forward. This result is secured bv providing ratchet wheels 12 and 13 between the respective register meehanisms and the gearing driven by the meter shaft. f Pawls 14 and 15 cooperate respec tively with the ratchets 12 and 13 and are secured to suitable gears positioned on opposite sides of a common drivinggear 16. The pawls 14 and 15 will, accordingly, rotate in opposite directions. The gear 16 is driven by the meter shaft 11. and when this gear rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 pazwl 15 slides freely' over the teeth of the ratchetll, while pawl 14 engages betweeri the teeth of the ratchet l2 and actuates the mechanism of register' ll. While the gear meuiber 16 rotates `in this direction register Il will he operatively connected to thc meter shaft while register l dill not he effected by the rotation of the meter shaft. lVhen, however, the direction ol rotation of the meter shaft is reversed thil gear 16 will also have its direction ot' nite amount, say ten dollars per mouth, for the use of electric energy. He receives a lrebate of a nominal amount, say one cent per 'kilowatt hour, for the energy represented byarea B, And he pays extra, say live cents-per kilowatt hour, for the energy represented by area C.

Numerous modifications embodying the principle of m invention will be apparent to those skille in the art. I have herein illustrated two constructions of meter embodyin my invention, but it will be understood t at such illustrations are merely by way of example and that I do not desire to limit myself to the specific details of construction or the particular type of peak meter herein illustrated and described. I, accordingly, aim by the terms of the following claims to cover all such modifications as are within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,--

1. An electric meter comprising a magnetic core, a. rotatable armature in operative relation therewith, a potential coil surrounding said core adapted to produce a magnetic field in operative relation with the armature, means in operative relation to the core and armature displacing the phase of a portion ot said field and causing the armature to rotate in a given direction when the consumption of energy is below a predetermined value, a series coil also surrounding the core and adapted to cause the armature to rotate in a reverse direction when the consumption of energy is above the pI'edeterminegivalue, two registers, and means whereby the revolutions of the armature in both directions are separably registered.

2. An electric meter comprising a magnetic coro, a rotatable armature in operative relation therewith, a potential coil surrounding said core adapted to produce a, magnetic field in operative relation with the armature, means in operative relation to the core and armature displacing the phase of a portion of said field and causing the armature to rotate in a given direction when the consumption ot' energy is below a predetermined value, a seriescoihalso surrounding the core and adapted to cause the armature to rotate in a reverse direction when the consumption of energy is above the predetermined value, two registers, means whereby the revolutions of the armature in each direction are registered on one of the registers, and means whereby the revolutions of the armature in one direction onlnv are registered on lhe other register.

3. An electric meter comprising a niagnetic core, a rotatable armature in operative relation therewith. a potential coil surrounding said core adapted to produce a magnetic field in operative relation with the armature. nie-ans in operative relation to the core and armature displacing the phase `of a portion of saidtield and causing the armature to rotate in a given direction when the consumption ot' energy is below a predetermined value. a series coil also sur rounding the core and adapted to cause the armature to rotate in a reverse direction when the consumption of energy is above the predetermined value. two registers. a worm and gear wheel connected thereto in operative relation with the armature and adapted to reverse its direction with the direction ot' rotation ol' the armature, a gear train operating one ot' said registers, a ratchet wheel and pawl mechanism connecting said gar train to the gear wheel so that the registerpnly registers for one direction of rotation of the gear wheel, a second gear train fm; operating thcsecond register and a mechanism connecting said gear train to the gear wheel so that the second register registers for both directions of rotation of the gear wheel.

In witness whereof. l have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of January, 1914.

i EVAN EVANS. liitnesses ronnnnian HAUPT, il im.y iu' l l a srvn 

